The Trump administration activated 700 active-duty U.S. Marines from the Camp Pendleton base in California to Los Angeles in the midst of immigration protests and riots in the city, said military officials.
U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) said in a statement on June 9 that the Marines “will seamlessly integrate” with troops “who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area.”
Earlier, a senior Trump administration official told The Epoch Times that the Marines are being sent to Los Angeles because of increased threats against federal buildings and federal officials in the city during the unrest.
A spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the 700 Marines will arrive sometime in Los Angeles on June 10.
NORTHCOM said in a June 8 statement that about 500 Marines would be on standby, after President Donald Trump already authorized deploying the National Guard to the city.
In a post on social media platform X, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said that the Marines are on “high alert,” drawing pushback from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic officials.
Newsom wrote in a post on X that the federal government is “threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens.”
“This is deranged behavior,” he said, drawing a response from Hegseth on social media.
The Pentagon chief wrote on the morning of June 8 that Newsom and local officials have allowed Los Angeles to “burn” and “law enforcement to be attacked” by rioters, suggesting that Marines need to be deployed to quell any unrest.
U.S. Marines have been deployed domestically for disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. They are known for being “first in, last out” in U.S. military interventions abroad, but it is rare for U.S. military troops to be used for domestic policing matters.
In a memorandum issued on June 7, President Donald Trump authorized the deployment of National Guard members.
While speaking to reporters alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio on June 8, the president also did not rule out invoking the Insurrection Act.
Trump said on June 9 that he felt he had no choice but to order the deployment to prevent the violence from spiraling out of control.
About 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area, NORTHCOM has said. The Department of Homeland Security said the Guard’s mission is to protect federal buildings.
“We are suing Donald Trump,” Newsom wrote in response to the Guard deployment in a post on X. “This is a manufactured crisis. He is creating fear and terror to take over a state militia and violate the U.S. constitution.”
On the afternoon of June 9, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office is filing a lawsuit against the administration over the National Guard deployment. He and Newsom argued that the decision was made without Newsom’s authorization and goes against the wishes of local law enforcement.
“Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion. The President is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends,” Bonta said in a statement.
California’s lawsuit accuses Trump of exceeding his authority under the law and asks a court to declare his actions as unlawful.
Amid a public spat between Newsom and White House border czar Tom Homan, Trump was asked by a reporter at the White House whether Homan should arrest the governor.
“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” Trump said in response. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”
Both the White House and Republicans in Congress have argued that the anti-immigration enforcement protests suggest that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act needs to be passed because it will increase border security funding. The bill is currently being considered in the Senate.
“The lawlessness happening in LA is ANOTHER reason why we need to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill IMMEDIATELY,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote on X.
Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the U.S.–Mexico border, setting Immigration and Customs Enforcement a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants.
Emel Akan, Iris Tao of NTD, and Reuters contributed to this report.
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